Runway jack



l. swAYNE 1,822,325

RUNWAY JACK l2. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug.

sept. 8, 1931.

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4 INVENTOR.

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A TTORNEY.

L. I. SWAYNE Sept. 8, 1931.

RUNWAY JACK 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIed Aug. l2. 1929 L. I. SWAYNE Sept. s, 1931.

RUNWAY JACK 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 Filed Aug.. 12'.- 1929 ,.JNVENTOR.`

W J. M

ATTORNEY.

limatentcd Sept. 8, 1931 LOREN I. SNAYNE, OF DENVER, COLORADO RUNWAY JACK application ined August i2, 1929. serial no. 385,216.

My invention relates to runway `jacks and is an improvement over my toi-mer invention, application :for Letters Putent on which was filed May lst, 1928, the serial m'unbor being 274,314. Y

Tie object oi my present invention is to provide a runway jack of simplified construction.`

A iurther object is to provide an improved the forward movement orp the rear carriage out from under the difierential housing of the automobile will be prevented.

i further object is to prot/ide a rear carriage and tack construction whereby even excessive speed of driving the automobile upon the jack will not be able'toV inove the rear carriage too 'lar upthe incline, and whereby it will be positively Stopped at a predetermined point upon the incline, which point it can pass only zitter the weight of: the differential is upon it.

lr further object to provide an improved tractor construction.

i further object is to provide an `improved brake construction to stop the movement ot the car on the jack.

A further object is to provide an improved lunnper construction to act in addition to the brake in extreme l attain the above objects by a construction which is 'fully described below and "l illustrated in the drawings, in

l is a side elevation of my runivay jack with the carriages in theV down position ready to receive an automobile.

ligisre 2 's a plan view of the jack with the carriages and part oit the tractor cable removed.

3 a fragmentary side elevation `ant the differential of the automobile is about to Contact With the rear carriage, and showing a modified form of tractor connecten and oi'f track.

Figure el is a. top elevation of the rear carriage and part of lthe tractor cable.

Figure 5 a trent elevation in partial rear carriage construction, whereby "fie 'carriages as they would appear i section oi the rear carriage, part of the trac'- tor cable vand part of thetrack in section. y Figure G is a section of' the rear carriage on the line 6 6 of Figure l, and showing a section of the stirrup in place. Figure 7 is a top elevation'of the front Y carriage.

Figure 8 is a front elevation in ,partial section of the front carriage and part of the track in section. v

l `Figure 9 is a side elevation in partial sction of the front carriage. 1

rlhe runway of my improved runway ack is Vcomposed oi the tivotracks 4f, each having the lower flat l, the incline 2, andthe upper 5;*

iiat 3. The tivo tracks 4 arereach composed ot the angle 5 and the beam member which are riveted or otherwise properly joined together. The tracks are supported on the base members 7 by the uprights and are cross braced Vby braces such as at 9 and Y l0, all of which makes a strong but light and cheap'construction.

The rear carriage is provided With the axles ll and 1l and Wheels 12 mounted thereon by the roller bearingsl.

A track hook l5 is integral with or may be )roperly attached to each side menlberr adjacent each axle, or the axle may pass directly through the hook as shown.

The side members are held in place on the axles by the snap rings 16 which slip over each axle end and snap into a groove `aoljacent the side member. 4Each axle vend is provided With the grease fitting 17. .l

The hooks l5 pass down outside of the tracks and bend in under the horizontal flanges ot the angles 5, thus Vpositively preventing the carriage from leaving the tracks,

The large Ushaped bracket. 22 is held in the lugs 23 of the front axle 1l by the nuts 9A. The vertical arms of the bracket 22 pass freely through holes in the platform 18, and f vthe upward movement of the front end of with the the platform is limited by cont/ac` horizontal portion of the hrale rlhe platform spring` 25 passes partially about the rear axle and its front end rests upon the front axle, while its otiier end eontacts with the under surface of the platform 18 and holds it iesiliently hnst the bracket 22. The front extremity of the spring 25 is formed into an eye 25 as will be taken up more fully below.

The platform levers 2G are joined by the cross bar 27 a.V d are pivotally mounted by the bolts 28 on the side members 14, the bolts 28 beine held in place by the nuts 20.

The iront ends of the levers 2G are pivotallly mounted by the nins o() upon the front end of the platform 18, being` held thereon by the cotter pins 31.

The levers 2G are provided wi 1li arms 32 having' bifurcated lower ends having` a contact surface 34.

The hooks 35, having` the contact surfai'es 36 are pivotally mounted on the ends by the bolts 37, held in place by trie nuts 38.

The springs 39, also held in place on e bolts 37 by the nuts enggagfe the liools 35 and the arms 32 and hold the con act surfaces of the hooks ajaii the conti.

l .L55 surfaces of the arms acting` against forwari,

swingingof the hooks Then the differential l0 of the rear axle of the automobile encounters the plaforiii 18, it causes the platform to lower about the rear axle 1l as a center, af l against the pressure of the spring' 25 till the platform encounters the front axle 11. lu this position the bracket 22 extends up above the surface of the platform 1 3, eilectnally preventing' the differential from moving' forward and olf of the platform 18.

The downward pivotal movement of the platform 18 ac's upon the levers 2G and the cross bar 27 to move them to the dotted line position shown in Figure 6. iit the same time the arms 32 with their hooks 35 are moved to the dotted line position shown in Figure 6.

When the rear carriage is moved to the receivingposition shown in Figure 3, the hooks 35 are nearly in contact with the stirrups 41.

Should the rear carriage be moved to the receiving posit-ion at too high rate of speed its inertia might carry it so far up the incline that the differential of the rear axle would merely bump it further forward instead of riding upon it.

The stirrups 41 prevent this inertia effect, which is much in re common than would be supposed when a runway jack is beingr used continuously in a busy 2rara or shop'.

However, when the hooks encounter the stirrups ll1, the rear carriaoje is stopped and held in the receiving position positively and regardless of the speed with which it Leanser moves up the incline. iind it may only pass 1 forward when the contact oi the differential of the rear axle on the platform 18 oepi'esses the platform and raises the hooks 35 to clear the stirrups, :is shown by dotted lines in Figure 6.

This saine pivotal movement of the levers 2G raises trie cross bar 27 behind the differential i0 so as to prevent the rear carriage from suddenly moving forward out from under the differential, especially with high speed operation of the runway jack.

That is, the hooks positively prevent the rear carriage from moving forward past the receiving' position until the weight of the difiere` vral is upon the platform 18; and once the weight of the differential is upon platform, the bracket 22 in front, and the ross bar 27 at the rear prevent the iarring or humping of Jthe differential from the pl tforin in either direction.

When the rear carriage is moved backward to the down position shown in Figure l, and the hooks 35 encounter the stirrups 41, pivetal movement of the hooks 35 about their mounting' bolts 37 against the pressure of the spi-iras 3i) permits the carriage to move on han l past the stiriups 41.

rllie fri it carriage has side members .l2 in which are inoui'ited the rear aidV D1-3 and the front orale l/l, each shoulder of each axle bearing against the adjacent side member.

The sleeves 12 are received upon the reduced ends of each axle and between the nf'alls of each side member. the nuts 1.7 on the axles acting' to clamp the axles and side men'ibers firmly together.

ln the normal down position shown in Figure 1, the front carriage is held in position upon the inrline by the rear carriage.

rm L of the automobile contacts ine front with the ofi-set which to` es the carriap'e up the incline, raising the front wheels of the automobile oil the lioor.

lVhen a vehicle with an exceptionallj,v high front aide is encountered, the doe' rl-(3 is turned downward from the position shown in Figures 1 and 3 to the position shown in l as shown by Figures 7 and 8 and the dotted line front carriage in Figure l. Then the front carriage is moved by hand up the incline to the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 1, the dop; 4:6 corr tacting' with the stirrup il Ler it has passed over it, and holding the front c riapge higher on the incline than its normal position so that it will Contact with the et'- ceptionally high front This position is shown in dotted lines in Figure 1..

front a "e si is dropped as :it iifi so that it will critact in its movements bach and forth on the track with the rear and front arms ii7 and f3 respectively of the tractor arm plate 49.

The tra ztor arm plate Lil) is connected by llll a cable 50 to the clevis 5l which is mounted by the bolt 52 and nut 53 in the eye of the spring oi' the rear carriage.

rlhe tractor is composed of two plate4 heldv by shouldered bolts 54 and nuts 55 on either side oi the cam track 58, the arm plate i9 having the arms il? and e8, and the retainer plate 56 being without arms. Roller sleeves 57 are carried by the bolts 5e and serve to decrease the friction of the bolts as they traverse the cam slot The traclr 58 is properly mounted-on the cross angles G() extending between properly positioned uprights 8.

The short distance between the arms el? and 48 and the drop of the slot 59 at either end of the traclr 58 combine to provide a front and a rear position for the tractor such as shown in Figures 3 and l respectively.

ln the front position the front arm i8 is low enough to permit the dropped front axle of the front carriage to pass over it, while the rear arm l? is high enough to contact with the dropped axle and be thereby moved to the rear position.

ln the rear position, the arm l? is low enough to permit the dropped axle to pass over it but the arm 48 contacts with the dropped axle which moves the tractor forward and thereby, throughthe cable cor.- nection moves the rear carriage forward to the receiving position shown in Figure 8, with the hoolzs adjacent the stirrups That is, in either movement ci the tractor, the arm, which is contacting the dropped axle of the front carriage, drops down at the end of the movement to permit the dropped axle to continue on its course.

The drop of the cam slot 59 at the iront of the track 58 is abrupt enough to hold the rear carriage in. the receiving position on the incline.

The brake plates Gl are provided. with the slots GQ rising from the rear to the frontand having a slight notch in the lower wall of the front portion of each slot as shown for the reception of the axles of the liront carriage. rllhe washer 6l acts to separat-coach wheel l2 from the adjacent plate 6l.

The brake shoes 63 are preferably riveted to the bralre plates and extend inward under the horizontal flanges of the angles 5 of the tracks and perform the same duty as the hoolrs l5 of the rear carriage.

llt the forward end of the runway are attached the brel-:e slides Sei. which are on a slightly rising angle with respect to the top of the angles 5.

As the iront carriage moves forward with the brake shoes in the ull'line position of Figure 9, the bralre shoes Contact with the upper surface of the brake slides, which contact is constantly increased by further forward movement due to the rise of the slides. This brake effect causes the wheels of the carriage to gradually rise from contact with the angles 5 and the entire weight of the front end of the vehicle is then carried by the shoes V63 as they slide on the slides 64e.

Under all ordinary circumstances the brake eilect thus produced is enough to bring the vehicle to rest upon the runway.y

Vihen it is desired to back the vehicle off the runway, a slight backward push is all that is required to move `the axles of the carriage backward inthe slots 62 and this permits the wheels to drop into contact with the angles 5 again, so the vehicle may be rolled backward on the carriages.

For positively stopping the vehicle on the runway when it is driven upon it so fast that the brai provided is not enough to stop it, the bumper is provided. This is preferably made or" some hard wood. It rests upon the top oiI the angles 5, and is held in placev resiliently by the springs 6G, washers GS and nuts 69, mounted upon the bumper rods 67, which rods pass through the slots G5 in the bumper 65 and are pivotally mounted on the runway as shown in Figures l and 2. Y

The angle of the rods G7 combines with the springs to force the bumper down upon the angles 5 when the bump with the front carriage occurs, and this tends to further assist in stopping the movement of the vehicle on the runway by providing friction between the angles 5 and the bumper 65. ln entreme cases what occurs is that the entire runway skids along the door a short distance after the movement of the vehicle on the runway has been stopped.

lf desired, the rear carriage may be equipped with brake plates and shoes similar to those of the front carriage, but extending downward a greaterdistance to contact with brake slides similar to those which co-operate with the front carriage brakes, but which are mounted on the track framework at a lower level than the front slides so that the bralies of the front carriage will pass over the slides which co-operate with the rear carriage. This is not illustrated in the drawings, for the salte of clearness, but any mechanic will perceive the construction necessary to equip the runway jack with brakes on both carriages.

However, from my own experience with my runway jack, I believe the brakes as shown will provide all the brake effect required, especially when the fina-l stop Ais insur-ed by the bumper.

ln some shops it may be desired to drive Athe cars in a continuous line over the runway jaclr, in which case the modilied form shown in Figure 3 maybe used. The cable is replaced by the hooked tractor rod 50; the bumper rods 67 are swung upward out of the slots 65', the bumper is removed and the rods G7 are then allowed to drop down out of the way. It will be observed that after the slides 64 have stopped the forward movement of a vehicle and the vehicle has been pushed backward till the brakes are released, it may then be moved either backward or forward on the tracks.

lWhen using the modified form of track shown in Figure 3, the vehicle is pushed backward till the brakes are released and is then pushed forward and down the front incline 2, to the lower flat l.

The carriages will roll olf of the lower flat l to the floor and the vehicle may then be driven away. The carriages may then be carried or pushed by hand backward on the track to the starting position shown in Figure l, ready for the next vehicle. Then the vehicle is pushed forward down the front incline, the rear carriage is released from the tractor rod 50 by merely passing forward so that the clevis 5l slides out of engagement with the hook of the rod 50. Then my runway jrck is equipped with the front incline, and in without the bumper, should a vehicle be driven upon the runway at too high a speed to be stopped by the brake, it will merely continue on forward and move down the front incline and down upon the floor again without damage.

The jack with the front incline may be made as long as desired, so that it will carry several vehicles at once, each equipped with a front and a rear carriage, and moving forward only, upon the runway.

lTvTith such a long jack, the carriages may be return-ed to the rear or starting end by placing them upon a long incline similar to but with a lower grade than the incline 2.

Or, if the floor space and general arrangement of the shop or garage will permit and the amount of business will warrant, two long runway jacks with front inclines may be placed near and parallel to each other but `facing in different directions, so that the carriages left at the bottom of each front incline may be moved over and placed upon the rear incline of the adjoining runway, ready for the next vehicle.

All of the various methods and arrangements for the use of my runway jack will be perceived by any competent mechanic once the details of the construction have been disclosed to him and he will be able to emplojT the runway jack in a manner and form best suited to his particular requirements.

From all of the above it will be seen that my runway jack attains all the objects sought.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to prot-ect by Letters Patent, is as follows l. In a runway jack having a two rail track provided with an inclined portion provided with hook-contacting stirrups and leading up to a level portion, and front and rear four-wheeled carriages mounted on said track to receive the front and rear axles respectively of a vehicle driven upon said jack, a longitudinally movable tractor mounted on the runway jack and operated by contact with said front cari-eige, a rear carriage movable up the incline to a receiving posi tion by forward movement of the tractor. and composed of front and rear wheeled axles joined by side members, an upwardly extending U-shaped bracket mounted on the front axle, a platform secured to the rear axle and extending between the front axle and said bracket, a spring resiliently holding the forward portion of the platform up in contact with said bracket, levers pivotally mounted upon said side members and upon the front portion of said plat'i'orm and having rear extensions, a cross piece joining the rear extensions of said levers and normally substantially flush with the upper surface of said platform, stirrup-eontacting hooks normally depending from and pivotally mounted on said levers to have forward pivotal movement only with respect to said levers from said normal position, and springs resilientl,y holding said hooks in said normal pw sition.

2. In the rear carriage of a runway jack having a hook-contacting stirrup on the runway, front and rear wheeled axles joined by side members to form a carriage, an upwardly extending bracket mounted at the front end of the carriage, a platform secured to the rear portion of the carriage, a spring resiliently holding the forward portion of the platform u p in contact with said bracket, lcvers pivotally mounted upon said side mem bers and connected to the front portion of said platform and having rear extensions and a cross piece normally substantially flush with the upper surface of the platform connecting them, a stirrup-contacting hool-` normally depending from and pivotally mounted on one of said levers to have forward pivotal movement only with respect to said lever from said normal position, and a spring resiliently holding said hook in said normal position, whereby contact between the stirrup and the hook will prevent fur-- ther forward movement of the carriage on the runway, and depression of the platform about its rear mounting will raise the hook out of engagement with said stirrup and permit forward movement of the carriage and will raise the said cross piece above the level of the upper surface of the platform.

3. In a runway jack having hook-contacting stirrups on the runway, a rear carriage composed of front and rear wheeled axles joined by side members, a bracket at the front of the carriage, a platform, means mounting the platform adjacent the rear of of their mounting i runway the carriage and permitting pivotal movement thereof, means holding the front portion of the platform up and in resilient contact with said bracket, levers pivotally mounted on said side members and at their forward ends connected to the forward portion of said platform, a cross piece connecting the rear ends of said levers and normallj substantially iush with the upper surface of said platform, stirruprontacting hooks pivotally mounted on the levers at the rear on the side members and normally extending downwardly and having only forward pivotal movement with respect to said levers, springs resiliently holding said hooks in their normal position, and draft means to move the carriage forward on the runway and the said hooks adjacent the said stirrups.

d. In the tractor mechanism of a runway jack having front and rear carriages and adapted to be operated by Contact of the tractor mechanism with the front carriage thereof to move the rear carriage up the incline of said runway jack to a receiving position in the line of travel of the differential of an automobile, a track mounted on the runway and havingv upper and lower spaced rails providing a guideway between them and having downwardly extending portions at each end, an arm plate having an upwardly extending arm at each end thereof on one side of said track, a retainer plate on the opposite side of said track, means joining the plates to move as a unit and passing through said guideway to be guided thereby, and draft means attached to said plate unit to move the rear carriage forward upon the forward movement of said unit.

5. In the tractor mechanism of a runway jack having front and rear carriages, adapted to be operated by contact with the front carriage thereof and to move the rear carriage up the incline of said runway jack to a receiving position, a track mounted on the and having upper and lower spaced rails providing a guideway therebetween and having downwardly extending portions at each end, an arm plate adjacent one side of the said track having an upwardly eX- tending arm at each end thereof, each arm adapted when not at'its end of the track to contact with a part of said front carriage, means on the opposite side of said track and passing through said guideway and guided thereby attached to said arm plate to form therewith a plate unit, and draft means attached to said plate unit and having a draftv connection with the rear carriage to move the rear carriage forward upon the forward movement of the plate unit.

6. In a runway jack having front and rear wheeled carriages provided with front and with a notch in the lower wall ofthe front portion of each slot, and mounted by said slots upon the axles of one of said carriages.

7. In a runway jack having front and rear wheeled carriages provided with front and rear axles joined by side members` for the reception of the front and'reariaxles respectively of vehicles, and having parallel rails upon which said carriages may move from the rear to the front thereof, brake slides attached to said rails on a rising grade from the rear to the front, and a pair of brake-slidecontacting brake shoes `having slots inclined from the rear to the front, the brake shoes being mounted upon parts of one of said carriages which pass through said slots. t

8. In a runway jack, the combination of front and rear wheeled carriages provided with iront and rear axles joined by side members, for the reception of the front and rear axles respectively of vehicles, parallel rails upon which said carriages may move from the rear toward the front thereof, brake slides attached to said rails on a rising grade from the rear to the front, a pair of brake-slide-contacting brake shoes having slots inclined from the rear to the front and with a notch in the lower wall of the front portion of each slot, mounted by said slots upon parts of said front carriage, side rods pivotally attached to the said rails, a cross member freely resting upon the rails adjacent the front extremities of the brake slides and through which said side rods` extend,rsprings on the side rods and bearing against the cross member and means on the side rods and contacting the front ends of the said springs.

9. In a runway jack, the combination of front and rear wheeled carriages, parallel rails upon which said carriages may move from the rear to the front, brake slides attached to the rails on a rising grade from the rear to the front, brake-slide-contacting brake shoes having slots inclined from the rear to the front and with a notch in the lower wall of the front portion of eachslot, mounted by said slots upon parts of said carriages, said rails adjacent their front ends, a cross member on said side rods and resting freely on said rails adjacent their front ends, springs on the side rods and means on the side rods to prevent the forward movement side rods pivotally mounted on,`

roo

of said springs, whereby the brake slides and the cross member will combine to stop forward movement of the front carriage.

10. In a runway jack, the combination of front and rear wheeled carriages, parallel rails upon which said carriages may move from the rear to the front, brake slides attached to the rails on a rising grade from the rear to the front brake-slide-contacting brake shoes carried by the front carriage7 and a cross member resting freely upon said rails adjacent the ends of the rails and the ends of the brake slides and means attached to the rails resiliently preventing forward movement of the cross member, whereby the brake slides, brake shoes and cross member will stop the forward movement of the front carriage. v

11. In a runway ack, the combination of front and rear wheeled carriages, parallel rails upon which said carriages may move from the rear to the front, brake slides attached to the rails on a rising grade from the rear to the front, brake-slide-contacting brake shoes having` slots inclined from the rear to the front and with notch in the lower wall of the front portion of each slot, mounted by said slots upon parts of said carriages7 and a normally stationary bumper attached to the rails and co-acting` with the brake slides and shoes in stopping the forward movement of the front carriage.

In testimony whereof I all-lx my signature.

LOREN I. SVAYNE. 

